Toppers Pizza: Innovating Quality and Customer Satisfaction in the Pizza Industry

Founded in 1991 by Scott Gittrich, Toppers Pizza has evolved from a passion project into a prominent player in the pizza industry, known for its quality and innovation.

Headquartered in Whitewater, Wisconsin, the brand started franchising the same year it was established.

Toppers Pizza stands out by emphasizing fresh ingredients, offering a unique menu, and fostering a culture that prioritizes both customer satisfaction and strong support for its franchisees.

Over the years, Toppers Pizza has consistently expanded its footprint, attracting a loyal customer base with its creative approach to traditional pizza. The company's commitment to excellence and community engagement continues to drive its success and growth within the competitive foodservice market.

Training 

Toppers Pizza provides a well-structured training program for its franchisees, covering various essential components to ensure thorough knowledge and operational efficiency in managing a Toppers Pizza restaurant. The key elements of the training program include:

Investor-Owner Training

• Designed for new direct or indirect owners acquiring an interest in the franchise.
• Includes up to two weeks of training conducted at the corporate offices or another designated location.
• Franchisees are responsible for covering all transportation, food, and lodging expenses.

Initial Training

• Offered to up to two individuals, typically the Managing Partner and the Restaurant Manager.
• Comprises up to 28 days of training held at the corporate offices, a Toppers Pizza restaurant, or another specified location.
• Additional on-site training, marketing assistance, and opening support are provided for seven to twenty-eight days at the franchisee’s restaurant.

Supplementary Training

• Includes both mandatory and optional programs to cover new procedures or initiatives.
• Topics may include cooking techniques, new recipes, marketing strategies, bookkeeping, accounting, general operating procedures, and computer systems development.
• Mandatory supplementary training is provided at no additional charge, apart from travel and living expenses, while optional training incurs fees established uniformly for all franchisees.

Territory Protection

Toppers Pizza offers franchisees a form of territory protection known as a "Protected Area." Within this Protected Area, Toppers Pizza will neither operate nor authorize others to operate a Toppers Pizza restaurant. Typically, the Protected Area is defined by a radius of 0.5 miles from the franchise location's center, provided that this area includes at least 30,000 households.

If the 30,000 household threshold is not met, the radius can be extended in 1/8-mile increments until the threshold is reached or until the radius extends to 1 mile, without exceeding the boundaries of the predefined Search Area. Additionally, each franchisee is assigned a "Delivery Area," beyond which they may not offer delivery services.

Despite this protection, Toppers Pizza and its affiliates or other franchisees are permitted to sell and deliver food and beverage products, under any trademark except for Toppers Pizza, within the franchisee’s Protected Area and Delivery Area. These entities may directly compete with the franchisee, and no compensation will be provided for sales made through these businesses.